Day 9: Names
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11
Before a Great Commission could be imparted, one worthy of the commissioning must be established: A Savior, a Messiah, a Master. No lesser person could demand so grand an obedience.
A Savior- the title is only used twice in all of the gospels. A savior is a deliverer. He would deliver us from the evil of death and defeat. Not only would He deliver us however, He would also save us from the punishment our sin deserves by taking it on Himself. Even the deliverers of the Old Testament could not accomplish this form of deliverance.
A Messiah(Christ)- the anointed one to a purpose. Set apart to save the world and to do the perfect will of the Father.
A Master- He is the preeminent ruler of all things. What silliness when we speak of somehow making Jesus the Lord of our life! He is Lord of all life, whether acknowledged or otherwise. All knees will bow either willingly with gladness, or forcibly with regret and gnashing of teeth.
No category could contain the coming of the Christ! Names upon names would be ascribed to Him, all grasping at a facet of his being, and all falling short in some regard. He is the name above all names. He was and is the fulfillment of promises made when Eden fell and the obfuscation of reality began. He was in the promise, and He was the promise. He is the fulfillment of law and judges and priests and prophets and kings yet so far above them that such titles do insufficient justice. Yet here we stand, groping to fit Him into our phylacteries and philosophies as if He would be bound to them. Even still, He ordained that words would be a vehicle sufficient to understand Him, to describe Him as much as possible, to give shape to our relationship to Him and to reality. May we give honor to the words He has given us regarding Himself! May we give thanks to Him as Savior, revere Him as Christ, and obey Him as Lord.
